Dbesok county



(No Model.)

J. A. HUGHES 82; R. G. BLAGKWELL. FEEDER AND BAND CUTTER FOR THRASHING MACHINES.

No. 283,710. Patented Aug. 21, 1883.

N. PETERS. Phctolllhmgrap'nlr, Washingifin. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ALBERT HUGHES AND RIOHA RD CHAPMAN BLAGIUVELL, OF HEN- DERSON COUNTXC KENTUCKY, ASSIGNORS OF ONETHIRD TO XVIIJLIAM HELRY LEV- 1S, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,710, dated August 21 1883,

. Application filed September 14, 1882. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES A. HUGHES and RICHARD O. BLAOKWELIJ, both citizens of the United States, and residents of the county of Henderson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeders and Band-Cutters for Threshing Machines, of which the following is a specification. 1

The object of our invention is to provide an improved feeding attachment to thrashinginachines, whereby the bands will be out off from the unthrashed bundles of straw just before the latter are entered or are delivered by r 5 the feeder to the thrashing-cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan view of our combined feeder and band cutter. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectionof the same, taken on the line a :0 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the cutting-roller.

A is the frame-work. B Bare two rollers mounted in bearings in the frame A.

G is an endless feed-beltrunning over the said rollers B B, upon which the unthrashed and handed bundles of straw are placed at the end marked by the arrow 1, and which are carried forward and dropped into the thrashing-cylinder( shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3) at the place indicated by the arrow 2. As thus far described the arrangement is old.

D- is a roller mounted in hearings in the V 5 frame A, above and a little in front of the forward roller, B, of the feed-belt, in such a position that the bundles of straw will pass between the said rollers D B just before entering between the concave .and the cylinder of the thrashingmachine. Along the surface of the roller D are set a series of radial spiral knives, d.

The object of placing the butting-roller in front of the endless belt is to give the heads 5 of the grain a downward tendency, so that they will strike the thrashing-cylinder below the center; also to divide the friction between the endless belt and the feed-board at the time of cutting the bands, for if the cutter were immediately above the roller all the weight of the knife would be on the belt, thus causing unnecessary wear, and requiring additional strength of the belt which carries the bundles to the thrashing-cylinder or to the band-cutter.

The shaft of the cuttingroller D extends beyond the frame of the machine on one side, and is provided with a pulley, a, which receives motion by a belt, I), from the thrashingmachine. Upon the said shaft, between the pulley a and the frame A, are secured one larger and one smaller cog-wheel, c c, respectively, which communicate motion to the rollers of the feed-belt G by means of one small or and one larger cog-wheel, E a, respectively 6 5 mounted upon a sleeve, F, which is arranged to slide upon the laterally-projecting shaft of the forward belt-roller, B.

To allow the sleeve F to slide upon the shaft and yet turn the shaft with it when revolving, a feather, f, is secured to the shaft and works in a groove in the sleeve F. The sleeve F has a groove upon its surface, in. which acts a pin secured to the end of a lever, G, pivoted to a bracket, 9', at the outside of the frame A, by which lever the said sleeve may be slid. on its shaft (in the ordinary manner of constructing levers and sleeves for couplings and reversinggears) to bring the wheels E and e in gearing contact, as shown in Fig. 1, or, instead there- .80 of, the wheels 6 and c in gearing contact, to varythe proportional speed between the feed-- belt 0 and the thrashingrcylinder, according as made necessary by the greater or less dampness of the straw. To retain the gears in the aforesaid positions for producing greater or less velocity, the forward end of the lever G is provided on its under side with a spring,

H, entering one or the other of two notches,

i, in the surface of a resting-piece, I, secured go to the frame A, the outer end of the said spring and the handle h being grasped simultaneous ly to raise the spring and move the lever. As the straw bundles leave the feed-belt 0 they are acted upon byrthe knives d of the revolv- 5 ing cutter-roller D, the said knives cutting the said bands against the roller B, which furnishes the resistance to the cutters, without, however, being so close to the knives as to allow them to come in contact with the belt.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a feed-belt, C, and roller 13 of a thrashing-machine feeder, of the revolving roller D, having radial knives d, forming eontinousspirals in one direction upon the surface of the said roller, and operating upon the bands of the straw bundle at or before the delivery to the thrashing-machine, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of the roller B of a thrashing-machine feeder, said roller having a sleeve, F, sliding upon its feathered shaft, and cog-wheels E e, of different sizes, upon the said sleeve, with the cutting-roller D, having rapresence of two witnesses, this 7th day of Sep- 25 tember, 1882.

JAMES ALBERT HUGHES. RICHARD CHAPMAN BLACKWELL.

\Vitnesses:

Josnrn B. CABELL, EDWARD ATKINSON. 

